LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT) - If you're having an emergency in Lexington and nearby counties, you will now be able to send a text.

Pixabay/MGN

Lexington city leaders announced the new 'text to 911' initiative Thursday. It will allow people to send text messages to emergency call centers in Fayette, Jessamine, Garrard and Lincoln counties.

“We have not had this and it has really created problems," Lexington Mayor Linda Gorton said.

The service could benefit many people, including the hearing impaired. Cole Zulaf is one of those people. He had an emergency in October, but he needed help.

“It was in the middle of the night," Zulaf said. "I woke up, and found that my right leg was numb.”

Zulaf had to crawl to another room to get his cell phone and call his son.

“He was asleep of course, so I had to stay on the floor for four hours until five in the morning until my son could call an ambulance," Zulaf said.

People who want to use the service just need to enter 911 in the "To" field, type a brief message and press send. You should include where you are and a brief description of the emergency. The messaging service doesn't allow for pictures or videos.

Online Public Information File

Viewers with disabilities can get assistance accessing this station's FCC Public Inspection File by contacting the station with the information listed below. Questions or concerns relating to the accessibility of the FCC's online public file system should be directed to the FCC at 888-225-5322, 888-835-5322 (TTY), or fccinfo@fcc.gov.